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Why Doesn't Vox Make Bass Amps?

M

MrBonex

Jan 2, 2004
476
10
New Hampshire
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#1
I was watching the Paulie Mac dvd at Red Square and digging his back line with all that groovy Vox speaker cloth. Man that is nice looking!

So why doesn't Vox make a nice 300-500 watt bass amp with a couple of tubes in the pre? Maybe a 2-12 bin? Go for that great vintage tone with some modern clean added. Like a Trace Elliot V600H (for example).

They seem to be selling a boatload of guitar amps. Plus they're made in China so it's not actually costing them anything! I'm smelling a perfect opportunity!

I'd buy it. I love that Vox look. Oh well. One could always buy some speaker cloth and fake it -- but . . .
 
#2
They've tried in the past. They just never could get it together to make anything good. They put out some truly awful bass amps in the past. Naturally they bombed.

Leave them to make guitar amps. Some of them are good.
 
#3
Oh well. One could always buy some speaker cloth and fake it -- but . . .
Click to expand...

Northcoast music here in Milwaukee is the national distributor for VOX (Hofner, too). Check out the following link for empty, replica VOX speaker cabs and head boxes. I understand a lot of Beatles trib bands use them to hide their Fender, Ampeg, other amp heads, too:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#10
Heres a shot of me using a Vox AC30 Bass amp in 1964 along with my Burns Six String Bass, Vox produced one reasonable bass amp which was the Foundation Bass, all of 50 watts with an 18" speaker in a separate cab, they also did the T50 which was an early transitor piggy back amp and a 15" + 12" cab.
There's a company about 30 miles from me making direct Vox replicas under the JMI (Jennings Musical Industries) banner, Jennings were the sort of parent company.
 
#11
Bassman62 said:
Heres a shot of me using a Vox AC30 Bass amp in 1964 along with my Burns Six String Bass, Vox produced on reasonable bass amp which was the Foundation Bass, all of 50 watts with an 18" speaker in a separate cab, they also did the T50 which was an early transitor piggy back amp and a 15" + 12" cab.
There's a company about 30 miles from me making direct Vox replicas under the JMI (Jennings Musical Industries) banner, Jennings were the sort of parent company.
Click to expand...

Fab! Thank you so much for this! I have used both the Vox Foundation 1x18 and the T50, which I recall being called the Vox Bristol bass amp. I later owned a Vox Essex, which was in the Thomas Inc. era, I believe.

Of the three, I liked the Foundation (1967) the least I must admit--too little output and way too much distortion at modest levels. The Bristol I only used twice (1965), but at the time it seemed great. The Essex was fine, and performed better than a 2x12 blackface Fender Bassman (this was the late 60's) except that heat and vibration kept doing in the amp, which was inside the sealed cabinet.

I've admired that JMI stuff, too!

Nice sharkskin! :D
 
#14
theleveebreaks said:
The Super Foundation was a GREAT bass amp, it was used on so many recordings and the Beatles used it on tour for quite some time. I would buy a Vox bass amp in a heart beat.
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Wow! Can you tell us about that amp? Maybe the 1x18 Foundation I used was an earlier or later version, or maybe just broken? It was for only one gig in a very large ballroom. Shared the bill with Linda Ronstadt! :D

BTW, when I saw the beatles in St. Louis in 1965, they each used 2 "super beatles (4x12)," I believe, unless the super foundation is a 4x12 cab of the approx same size as the "super" guitar amp.....:cool:
 
#15
thejohnkim said:
i think they have a 60 watt combo that looks like a vox amp
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Unfortunately they no longer do. They discontinued them a few years back. I got one of the later models that I love so dearly.

Vox doesn't make bass amps, because they wouldn't sell bass amps. If you're looking for a 60W combo, you're going to look at probably every brand BUT Vox. I was strolling through a store one day, saw it fit exactly what I needed and plugged in and loved it. Otherwise, I would've never looked at Vox for a bass amp.

Vox has a niche in the market. Unfortunately it's not in the bass amps, and frankly, R&D would most likely cost much more than they would ever make from designing it.
 
#18
Jim Carr said:
Wow! Can you tell us about that amp? Maybe the 1x18 Foundation I used was an earlier or later version, or maybe just broken? It was for only one gig in a very large ballroom. Shared the bill with Linda Ronstadt! :D

BTW, when I saw the beatles in St. Louis in 1965, they each used 2 "super beatles (4x12)," I believe, unless the super foundation is a 4x12 cab of the approx same size as the "super" guitar amp.....:cool:
Click to expand...

The Foundation and the Super Foundation were different amps. The Foundation was a 50 watt amp and the Super Foundation was 100.

Paul McCartney used a lot of different Vox combinations over the years but I know he used a Super Foundation, a Super Beatle, AC100's, and a few others.

The Super foundation normally came with an 18" under it (a goodman's I believe) that sounded great. You can hear a Foundation on the "Can't Always get what you want" stones recording.
 
#19
I also have the T-60 combo amp. I guess it isn't a real "vintage" Vox but I have loved that little bugger ever since I bought it last October.:hyper: I am glad I did now. I think that there is a T-25 25watt combo as well. Orange has a line of combo amps that might be in the same ballpark.
 
#20
SUNNyday r. said:
I also have the T-60 combo amp. I guess it isn't a real "vintage" Vox but I have loved that little bugger ever since I bought it last October.:hyper: I am glad I did now. I think that there is a T-25 25watt combo as well. Orange has a line of combo amps that might be in the same ballpark.
Click to expand...
Yep, and a T-15 as well that put out 15 useless watts. But it looked good doing it ;)
 

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